{"product_id":"ignorance-confidence-and-filthy-rich-friends-isbn-9780471933373","title":"Ignorance, Confidence, and Filthy Rich Friends","description":"While the entire world knows Mark Twain as the renowned author of many classic American novels, few people are aware that he was also a highly successful businessman. In fact, more than half of his life was consumed by moneymaking pursuits, which often resulted in writing projects being neglected--but at the same time, these adventures were the inspiration behind many of the characters found in his books. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e In Ignorance, Confidence, and Filthy Rich Friends, Peter Krass captures a little-known side of this American icon and details the roller coaster ride of his business ventures in a dramatic, entertaining, and informative narrative style. From Twain's time as the founder of his own publishing house--where he made a small fortune publishing General Ulysses S. Grant's memoirs--to his foray into venture capitalism and investment in numerous start-up firms, to his focus on his own inventions, this engaging book reveals the Mark Twain that few of us know: the no-nonsense, successful American businessman.  Chapter one. Early Hard Knocks on the Road to Riches and Fame.  \u003cp\u003eQuirky Habits and Brazen Philosophy: How to Outwit Your Superiors.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter two. How to Quit a Good Job and Then Lose a Million Dollars.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eQuirky Habits and Brazen Philosophy: Even a Crank Knows to Dress for Success.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter three. Sometimes Necessity Is the Mother of a Career.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eQuirky Habits and Brazen Philosophy: Overcoming Stage Fright and Winning the Audience as a Public Speaker.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter four. Welcome to Corporate America: Hard-Nosed Negotiating and Profit-Driven Management.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eQuirky Habits and Brazen Philosophy: The Authors Stormy Work Habits.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter five. Sucked into the Gilded Age: Money Lust and the Making of an Inventor.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eQuirky Habits and Brazen Philosophy: Managing a Glut of Loathsome Correspondence.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter six. Seeing and Seizing Opportunities:Venture Capitalist and Wall Street Speculator.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eQuirky Habits and Brazen Philosophy: The Half-Soled Stockbroker.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter seven. Bold Vision and Imagination: How Twain Made General U. S. Grant and Himself Rich.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eQuirky Habits and Brazen Philosophy: Smoking Inspires Brainstorming and Problem Solving.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter eight. A Shakespearean Business Tale: How Blind Love in Business Turns to Tragedy.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eQuirky Habits and Brazen Philosophy: Image Is Everything, But Interviews Are Twaddle.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter nine. Enduring Financial Crisis and Adversity:A Rockefeller Crony Comes to the Rescue.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eQuirky Habits and Brazen Philosophy: Are Ethics for Fools?\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter ten. Salvaging a Career and Dignity.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eQuirky Habits and Brazen Philosophy: Avoid My Example.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter eleven. Back in the Saddle: Playing the Insiders Game.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eQuirky Habits and Brazen Philosophy: How to Live a Long, Successful Life.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSelected Mark Twain Maxims.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndex.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePETER KRASS\u003c\/b\u003e is an accomplished and prolific author, editor, and researcher. He has written and edited ten books, including \u003ci\u003ePortrait of War, Blood \u0026amp; Whiskey: The Life and Times of Jack Daniel \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eCarnegie\u003c\/i\u003e, all published by Wiley. Krass lives in Hanover, New Hampshire. \u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eIn addition to being one of America’s most renowned and beloved writers, Mark Twain considered himself a hard-nosed, visionary businessman. After achieving worldwide literary success in mid-life, Twain actively pursued his business interests: he developed his own inventions, was a venture capitalist who supported other inventors, a Wall Street investor who made a fortune more than once, and a media mogul who founded his own publishing firm. Not surprisingly, he was also a pioneer in salesmanship.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eIgnorance, Confidence, and Filthy Rich Friends \u003c\/i\u003eilluminates this little-known side of an American icon in an engaging and informative narrative that details a business career full of adventure, ambition, and insightful instruction. Author Peter Krass examines all the critical events and circumstances that shaped Twain’s “Robber Baron” perspective on money and business. He reveals how, while often torn between being an enlightened man of letters and a materialistic capitalist, Twain was motivated by a relentless desire to accumulate great wealth. Krass traces the source of this sometimes unhealthy compulsion to the writer’s boyhood—when he developed an irrational fear of poverty after his father’s business ventures failed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt times as entertaining and dramatic as one of Twain’s own works, this fascinating book tells how the legendary writer and humorist made millions in today’s dollars publishing the memoirs of General Ulysses S. Grant. It details his escapades as a venture capitalist—one who made significant investments in some twenty start-up firms—and as a Wall Street investor with a sizable stock portfolio. It also tells how, often at the expense of his book projects, he promoted his own inventions, including a children’s game he patented in 1885 and numerous other gadgets for everyday use.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlong with these enlightening tales, Krass includes brief mini-chapters entitled “Quirky Habits \u0026amp; Brazen Philosophy” between chapters throughout the book. These interludes further explore the personal habits that aided Twain’s stunning success and feature many memorable witticisms from the master himself. For those who know and love Mark Twain only as a writer and humorist, this book will provide a fascinating and revealing look at his life as a successful man of business.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wiley","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47989400568037,"sku":"NP9780471933373","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780471933373.jpg?v=1761783964","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/ignorance-confidence-and-filthy-rich-friends-isbn-9780471933373","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}